< How to Approach Interviewing

Step 1

Nailing the Recruiter Interview

We recommend spending 5 minutes on this section.

Impressing your recruits starts from your very first email.

Sending a cold email can be nerve-wracking, but there's a simple way to set yourself apart from the pack. The trick is to be strategic.  Recruiters can get hundreds of emails a day – if your message is generic, it'll just be ignored. Instead, start with a targeted list of companies. (If you completed our sprint on Attacking the Search, you already have one ready to go). Here are a couple key principles we've learned from Zeit partners and two of Tech's most strategic recruiters, Jordan Woeltje (Talent partner at Twilio)  and Brie Tomaszewski (Talent Partner at Thrive Market).

Lots of career pivoters aren't sure how to talk about their skills gaps. But with a little work, your potential liabilities can turn into a huge asset. Recruiters love to hear that you're actively working to make yourself a better candidate. Are you working to earn a certification? Teaching yourself Excel? Mastering the latest graphic design program? Bring it up! It's a great way to show your enthusiasm for the role while demonstrating that you're proactive and self-motivated.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 5

Nailing the Behavioral Interview

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

The behavioral interview is a key moment for career pivoters. This is your change to emphasize your transferable skills. Even if you lack relevant experience on paper, the behavioral interview is where you can tell a story that shows exactly why you'd be a great fit for the role. In this section, we'll talk about some tips and tricks to help you show yourself off. Let's start by focusing on soft skills.

Speaking to your soft skills

Soft skills are harder to learn on the job, and something you can use to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Additionally, soft skills are a great way to play up how you are a strong cultural fit for an organization. If you're interested in hearing why hte behavioral interview is so critical for career pivoters, listen to this 5 min clip from our workshop with Mindy Zhang, a career coach and product leader for companies like Dropbox,  and Oscar Health:

Need help identifying your strengths and soft skills? Refer back to your skill reflection exercises and transferable skills analysis from Sprint #1.

Need help identifying a company's values?

Here are a couple things that can help:

Look for clues in the company website, job description, and articles or other materials. What types of adjectives do they use to describe the company mission, vision, and culture? Pinpoint the ones that overlap with your own

Do some discovery by speaking with existing or former employees of the company. Ask them some of the below questions to gain a better grasp on the culture:

When the team has a tough choice to make, what principles guide the team's decision making?

What are some of the traits that team members at Company X have in common?

What values or behaviors enable someone to be successful at Company X versus another company?

Joining Company X from another company, what are some of the things you found surprising?

What do skills, traits, and lenses do you bring to the table that someone who has done the job before cannot bring? Will you bring domain expertise, a more fresh innovative perspective, a design-oriented view, etc? Articulate how your traits are uniquely ownable and valuable to the company

If you need more inspiration, we recommend visiting Key Values to see if the company you are interviewing with lists its values here. Or, you can use this list of key values to best target the traits you are looking for in a company.

Once you've identified how you character strengths or soft skills overlap with the company's values identify 4-5 stories that can showcase how. Storytelling is strategic, and here are some helpful frameworks to run your stories through so they land in a way that drives home your transferable skills.

Storytelling frameworks

First, keep it short – three or four minutes, tops. People tend to ramble when they're talking about themselves, and shut the interviewer out. Keeping things brief gives your interviewer a chance to ask about the areas they're most interested in.

If you're not sure how to tell stories about yourself, try to keep the following key points in mind:

Storytelling Framework

1.

Situation: What is the broader context for this story? What was your team doing? How did this problem come about?

2.

Challenge: What went wrong? Your story should always center on some kind of problem you overcame.

3.

Approach: How did you solve it? This is the part of your story that should get the most elaboration. Don't just share what you did – talk about your thought process, different things you tried, and what kinds of considerations you took into account.  Are you an empathic listener? An insightful problem-solver? A great cross-functional communicator? Do you excel at thinking of out-of-the-box solutions? This is your chance to prove it.

4.

So What: Why did it matter? There are two ways this section can work. If your approach worked, talk about the tangible payoff – did it lead to more sales? Better customer retention? A successful product launch? Great! If your approach didn't work, that's okay too – this is where you can talk about what you learned from the experience, and how you've applied those lessons going forward.

As always, it's best to be as specific as possible in the time you have. Details will make your story more compelling and paint a better picture of you and your approach to problem-solving. It's also best to avoid over or under-selling yourself. Don't be afraid to talk up your strengths – but don't try to take sole credit for something that was really a group effort.

Finally, it's okay to talk about failure. This can be surprisingly effective in job interviews. Sharing what you've learned from a situation that didn't work out the way you wanted it to demonstrates your insight, ability to handle difficult situations, and potential for growth going forward. As a career pivoter, these are some of your greatest strengths – so highlight them!

If you're interested in hearing about any of these concepts in more detail, check out another 5 minute clip here from our workshop with Mindy. Feeling ready? Try it for yourself here by running some of your examples through the template here. Be sure to make a copy and save it to your Google Drive.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 2

Interviewing with Confidence

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

Now that we know being strategic and succinct is key how do you get there? Almost everyone has some sort of challenge to overcome in job interviews – maybe you tend to ramble, or go blank when you don't know the answer to a question, or over-rehearse and sound robotic. That's only natural. Job interviews are stressful situations! And, fortunately, all these problems have the same solution: building up your confidence. When you're feeling confident in yourself and your abilities, it's easy to think clearly and improvise.

Confidence can be especially hard to come by when you are pivoting and feel insecure about certain skills gaps. One thing to keep in mind as you read job descriptions and prepare for interviews, if you could do 100% of what the job was asking for you would be overqualified.  Of course, the best way to build confidence is to be prepared. You should always go into an interview having done your homework – know what your story is, what core transferable skills you want to highlight, and what experiences you want to share. But even if you know your stuff, interviews can still be intimidating. That's where the Thought/Work model comes in. This model was developed by our partner and executive coach Arielle Shnaidman. This model will help you identify trigger areas where you feel less confident and provide ways to reframe them to instill confidence. First, watch this 5 minute clip to grasp the model and then try for yourself.

You can't do anything to change your circumstance. No matter how well-prepared you are, an interviewer could always throw you a curveball. The trick is to change your thought. Instead of doubting yourself, shift the narrative: "I've got this," "I'm qualified," or "I have great experience." You can't do anything to change your circumstance. No matter how well-prepared you are, an interviewer could always throw you a curveball. The trick is to change your

Our thoughts are the stories we tell ourselves. By changing the way we look at events, we can shift our feelings, our actions – and our results.

Try it now by using this worksheet here, and be sure to make a copy and save in your Google Drive folder.! Imagine being in a difficult circumstance (it doesn't have to be a job interview). Then, once you're in the moment, try changing your thoughts. By reframing the narrative, you'll be able to tackle challenges with poise and grace.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 3

How to Address the Hard Skill Gaps

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

This can be one of the most nerve-wrecking parts of the pivot interview. Sitting there with sweaty palms just waiting for them interviewer to ask you why they should hire you when you don't have X and Y skill set. Here are some tips for how to address the skill gaps questions

Lots of career pivoters aren't sure how to talk about their skills gaps. But with a little work, your potential liabilities can turn into a huge asset. Recruiters love to hear that you're actively working to make yourself a better candidate. Are you working to earn a certification? Teaching yourself Excel? Mastering the latest graphic design program? Bring it up! It's a great way to show your enthusiasm for the role while demonstrating that you're proactive and self-motivated.

Proactively address the gaps - Come prepared to discuss the question head on. When interviewers ask a question like "What are some of your weaknesses? What are some things you are working to improve? Why shouldn't we hire you?" these are all opportunities to address the skill gap. This is a perfect time to state the 1-2 skills you are actively working on addressing and how you are going about addressing them (e.g. shadowing someone, a side project, taking a course, working on a project at work, etc.)

Clarify the delta of the gap - Often times the skill gaps are not a yes or no thing, but instead a work in progress. Make this clear to the person you are speaking with by describing your level of proficiency in a specific skill. Maybe you are not expert level yet, but you can describe your level of proficiency

Share proxies - Be explicit about the skills gaps you are working towards and share examples of work projects and assignments that have enabled you to touch on these skills!

Prove it! - If you're confident in your ability to hit the ground running, say that you are willing to prove it. Tell your interviewer you'd be happy to do a take home assignment or project to demonstrate your proficiency towards a skill. Additionally, share how you approach skilling up if you were to land the job.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 4

Follow up communication

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

Your relationship with your interviewer shouldn't end when the interview does. It's important to follow up and stay engaged.

Lots of career pivoters aren't sure how to talk about their skills gaps. But with a little work, your potential liabilities can turn into a huge asset. Recruiters love to hear that you're actively working to make yourself a better candidate. Are you working to earn a certification? Teaching yourself Excel? Mastering the latest graphic design program? Bring it up! It's a great way to show your enthusiasm for the role while demonstrating that you're proactive and self-motivated.

Always send a thank you note immediately after an interview – if you're not sure how to write one (below is a great example). Thanking your recruiter and hiring manager is a sure way to make a great first impression. Hiring managers we've spoken to say it's becoming rarer, too, so it'll help set you apart from the competition.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 6

Handling Take-Home Assignments

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

Take-home assignments can be stressful – but if you keep calm and remember a few key tips, there's no reason let them get out down. Remember, a take home assignment is a really positive sign. It means you are a strong candidate, and the hiring manager wants to hear what you have to say. You wouldn't be getting this assignment if you weren't qualified. With that in mind, don't obsess over getting the perfect answer. You'll make mistakes, but that's okay – hiring managers care way more about seeing your process than getting the "right" result. You don't have to spend forever fine-tuning your work. Budget some time, and then stick to it. Your interviewer knows you have work with limited time, and they'll take that into account when they evaluate your work. We've pulled some of our favorite tips from Interview expert, Exponent, on how to nail the take home assignment:

Clarifying your assignment
When you first get your assignment prompt, take 5 minutes to make sure you completely understand what the interviewer is asking. Oftentimes, you can pick up on subtle themes if you’ve completed enough of these take-home assignments which will help frame your answer in a favorable manner. Here are some things you should do to fully understand your prompt:
‍
Deliverables/Answer the question:
The first thing you should do is make sure you fully understand the deliverables. If the recruiter is asking for designs, a file format, etc. make sure you take all of those things into consideration.
‍
Timeframe:
Next, clarify with the interviewer when they’d like the assignment completed by and how long they typically expect interviewers to work on the assignment. Now is the time to ask for rescheduling if you think you can’t commit to the assignment at this time. While no one will be keeping track of the exact time you spend, you still want to be somewhere in the recommended ballpark. Additionally, this will help you block out the appropriate amount of time to work on the assignment.

Assumptions:
If you have any major assumptions, feel free to ask the interviewer or recruiter to clarify them at this point. The answer may lead you to completely different approaches when it comes to your assignment. Don’t be afraid to gather this extra intel if the opportunity presents itself

Managing your time
‍The take-home assignment usually requires a few hours of dedicated work time. Depending on your work style, I would recommend blocking out the anticipated time to complete the assignment. Here’s how you should organize your time:
‍
Minimize interruptions:
While working on your take-home assignment, I highly recommend minimizing any interruptions and focusing on your deliverables. The assignment requires you to communicate a lot of information and interruptions to your thought process may reflect in your deliverables. It’s important that you keep your writing direct, contextual, and concise - staying focused will help accomplish those goals.
‍
First draft mentality:
While you want your final product to be polished, try and take an agile mentality when completing your take-home assignment. Spend the minimal amount of time to work through your first draft as you’ll likely make multiple changes as you go. Once you’ve completed your draft, you can always go back in later to make changes, add details, and improve any areas that may be lacking.
‍
Save time for review:
I recommend not spending all of your allocated time in one sitting. It helps to come back to the assignment with fresh eyes and clear thoughts (after you’ve completed a full draft of course). Plan to come back to the assignment a few hours later to reevaluate the state of your responses.

Working on the assignment
‍The meat of the take-home assignment is actually sitting down and going through the thought experiment proposed by the interviewer. Here’s some tips on working on the actual assignment itself:
‍
Be concise:
A mark of a good interviewees is knowing when to add just enough detail without overloading the document with details. Use your best judgement in determining what topics can be skimmed over and which require precise explanation.
‍
Fully articulate your decision-making process: ****
While you want to aim to be concise, make sure you organize your thoughts in a way that helps the reader understand your decision-making process.
‍
Utilize visuals:
The old adage is that a picture is worth a thousand words. If you’re good with mockup and prototype software, utilize that to your advantage if it responds to the prompt. Don't be afraid to showcase your creative skills
‍
Show what you know:
This is a great opportunity to playback what you've learned in the interviews to date. Refer back to your notes and weave in specific pieces of data, anecdotes, or assumptions to demonstrate you are learning and listening through this process.
‍
List out open issues or possible doubts:
Somewhere in your project, I highly recommend listing out any open questions, risks, and dependencies. This demonstrates to the interview a level of awareness that your solution may depend on some key assumptions. Additionally, the recruiter will appreciate your transparency, and likely applaud you for knowing the limitations of your solution.

Review your work
‍When you’re done with your assignment, it’s time to review your work one last time and make any final adjustments. Here are some ways to really polish up your work:

Ask for someone to review: ****
It’s always a good idea to have fresh eyes take a look at your assignment and see if they can follow along. I not only recommend asking other people to review your work, but also friends who are not in the industry. If other people can follow along, then you know you’ve done a decent job of explaining your core ideas.
‍
Play devil’s advocate:
While it’s good to be confident in your proposed solutions, it’s also a good idea to look at the other side of the coin. Review your work from different perspectives: would this be a viable solution if you had zero resources? Is this solution measurable? Why are your competitors not trying this? Think of novel ways to poke holes at your assignment and address them.
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Answering the prompt:
At the end of the day, you want to make sure that you answer the prompt the interviewer gave you. It’s easy to get carried away in your work and forget where your end goal was. Take a moment to make sure you’re providing what the interviewer asked.

Submit your work/Gathering feedback
‍When all final touches are done it’s time to submit your work! If you’ve never done a take-home assignment before, pat yourself on the back. I like to keep a copy of all of the assignments I’ve done so that I can refer back to them whenever needed. Additionally, I encourage you to ask for feedback so that you can continue to improve your take-home assignment skills:
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Submit your assignment on time: ****
This goes without saying. Deliver your tasks as promised and on schedule. You don’t want to be making bad impressions this early in the process.
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Be prepared to discuss further:
Some interviewers may have a follow-up conversation for you to present your work or walk them through your assignment verbally. Be prepared to defend your decisions and discuss your process in detail.
‍
Utilize feedback to improve:
If the interviewer does provide feedback, make sure you make note. As I mentioned before, I like to keep copies of my assignments along with these notes to refer back to in the future.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 7

How to handle rejection

We recommend spending 40 minutes on this section.

"I was trying to get to 100 rejections." - This is advice from Ethan Harry, now a Senior Product Manager at Google who faced over 100 rejections trying to pivot from being a teacher and Business Development leader to Product Management.

Getting rejections is actually a sign of progress. We know it might not feel that way when those automated, generic emails slide into your inbox 🙄. However, getting rejected means you are putting yourself out there and eliminating companies that aren't right for YOU! Plus, it's not personal. As painful as it may seem, this is a great moment to self reflect on the process.

Here are some helpful prompts:
What went well?
What didn't go well?
What positive things did you learn about the company and yourself?
What negative things did you learn about the company and yourself?
Based on the above, what should you stop doing as you continue to move through the quest?
Based on the above, what should you continue doing as you continue to move through the quest?
Based on the above, what should you start doing as you continue to move through the quest?

Ready to try for yourself? Use this template to download your interview progress, reflect, and keep iterating and improving.

< How to Approach Interviewing

Chapter 7

If you interviewed at a company and got rejected, guess what-you just expanded your network! Take a minute to let that sink in.

If you had a good back and forth with people you interviewed with along the way, this is a major opportunity to cultivate a relationship with them.

Here are a couple tips on how to do this:
Send a follow up note - If you got a rejection note from a recruiter or hiring manager respond immediately to them, and other individuals you feel you made a strong connection with during the process. Close the loop and let them know you appreciated their time. Specify what you personally enjoyed about them, or what you learned from them. Say while you know it didn't work out, you would love to stay connected. Who wouldn't appreciate receiving an email like that?

‍Keep them in the loop, and lean on them when relevant - As you continue to move through the interview process you'll have questions about everything from craft to a company's culture. One day you will have an offer, or multiple ones! These are all great opportunities to circle back with someone. Let them know you are in final rounds with specific companies. Let them know you are negotiating an offer, or two! If you have a strong exchange with this person, lean on them. If you know they are someone that will help you prepare and nail a final round interview, ask them for 15 minutes of their time to help prepare—and be specific about what you need their help around. If you are deciding between two offers, ask for their advice and perspective.

‍Make them feel part of your success - Once you land those offers, and you will, close the loop with all these people. Let them know where, what, and why you chose the place you did. Thank them again for their help along the way and ask for a few minutes of their time before you ramp up. Be specific about what you want their advice around. Is it how to approach your first 30 days? Is it an industry or product specific questions? Is it advice about leadership? Make it clear as to how they can help you, and how they have already been helpful to you.

‍Stay in touch - Now that you've made your pivot and started the job your interviewer has now become closer to a peer or mentor, depending on their level. As you dive deeper into your new role continue to find ways to connect with these individuals. We recommend building on your networking spreadsheet that keeps track of who the individuals are and ways they can continue to support you. Also, now when you're ready to go for that promo or find your next role, your rolodex just got more full!

< How to Approach Interviewing

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've just finished your fifth and final sprint.

Congratulations you have completed your fifth sprint! Remember interviewing is an iterative process and we got the support you need in our slack community. We also have a take-home assignments channel for you to brainstorm or review your work with other questers.

Leverage our Slack group for resume and skill building

Head to the interviews channel in our slack group to set up mock interviews, strategize about common interview questions, and much more.

Want help getting started or reviewing your take home assignment? Visit our takehomeassignment channel to help get unblocked or keep moving!

Continue to check in with your peers and cohort in your dedicated slack channel for general support and help

Schedule your 1:1 coaching session

A few resources found in this sprint:
- Thought/Work Model worksheet
-Storytelling worksheet
-Interview Reflection and Iteration worksheet